Xbox May Walk Away From Steam, As It Reportedly Prepares PC Strategy Shift Amid 2026 Reset - Wccftech

Following the acquisition spree spearheaded by former head Phil Spencer, Xbox is going through a challenging phase which led to multiple waves of layoffs, studio closures, and a radical change of how the business will have to operate to survive in these difficult market conditions. Among the things the company is planning and evaluating is how it operates on PC, and the discussions around this could give it a window to walk away from Steam, according to Windows Central's Jez Corden. "I do know like Microsoft has some plans with regards to how they show up on PC," Corden said during the latest episode of the Xbox Two Podcast. "And I don’t know what that pertains to with regards to Steam, but the plans that I know about, and I’m being very careful here, kind of suggest it gives them a window to potentially pull out of Steam. So, I would not be shocked if eventually we do see a universe where Microsoft quits Steam." Considering how Xbox has always released their games on Steam as well as on its own Store such a change would be significant, especially as it would be difficult to get users to switch platforms. However, Jez Corden clarified on X that having the window to do it doesn't necessarily mean it will happen, as they would leave a lot of revenue on the table by walking away from Valve's storefront. "I REALLY doubt they will, but they're doing something that could potentially give them a window to do so, but there's just too much money to be left on the table imo. It was part of a bigger discussion," Corden said. As was discussed on the Xbox Two Podcast, Xbox's plans to change how they operate on PC are likely related to their next-generation hardware system, the Xbox Project Helix, which will bridge the gap between console and PC gaming. As the system will likely cost more than the PlayStation 6, as its massive Magnus APU is more expensive to produce, having third-party storefronts like Steam, GOG, or the Epic Games Store available on the system would significantly eat into the 30% platform cut Xbox gets from every sold game on the system, making it harder to subsidize the hardware and release it at a lower price point. While this was likely discussed in the past, the prices of components, RAM, and NAND storage especially, are continuing to increase, and with the situation predicted to get even worse in the coming months, it's easy to understand why Xbox could be considering pulling out of Steam, however unlikely it may be at this time. About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band. Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.